Howe & Rusling Inc. Boosts Position in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 99.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,027 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its position in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

ETR stock opened at $83.96 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $83.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.59. Entergy Corporation has a 12-month low of $50.19 and a 12-month high of $88.38. The firm has a market cap of $36.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ETR shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.75.

Entergy Company Profile

Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. It generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas.